Loss of Comedy Revenue

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Chris Rock, Executive Producer.

Comedy. Humor. Laughs. Where do you find comedy? It depends on who controls the means of production. The government owns airwaves therefore, you need a licence to operate a television station to broadcast music, news, sports, entertainment, religion and comedy.

YouTube changed all that. Television stations no longer have the monopoly to bring us comedy because YouTube puts the means of production in our hands. It undercuts television stations because it is literally ‘free to air.’

Money that used to go to television producers, now goes to anyone who produces a successful YouTube comedy show or skit. They are quite popular in some countries because followers can relate to the content. It’s local. Some skits use both English and local languages.

Therefore, we can call it back-to-my-roots comedy. Once upon a time, comedy was determined by where people lived, how they gathered food and age clusters. Enter radio.

It took center stage for a long time because it is mobile: from room to room, the garden, in the car or ships, but every dog has its day. Television took over the airwaves. We liked it because we saw people on the screen, unlike radio. Not anymore, YouTube comedy is the new kid on the block.

This seals the fate of American comedy, rooted in the American way of life, produced by American TV stations and also sold all over the world. How is Netflix comedy doing?

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang. 

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